


The Crystal's Crumbled

by artemis101



Series: Crystal Clear [2]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Don't copy to another site, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29387766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemis101/pseuds/artemis101
Summary: Eons Ago Oswald took Ed’s hand in a very loose grasp and they shook on it. Everything around them immediately started to crumble but neither of them noticed as they faded into darkness, Ed’s body collapsing against Oswalds.
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma
Series: Crystal Clear [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2158779
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Well, it took over a year but I finally got around to writing the sequel to The Crystal Clearing. Much love and thanks to [Sunflowerroland](https://sunflowerroland.tumblr.com/post/169471700750/a-bro) who not only beta read this work but also pretty much got me to write it, I really appreciate all of your help and hard work!

“Who are you?”

“Edward,” He took a slight pause, “ Nygma. I know who you are.”

The meeting still ran through Ed’s head every word reverberating around his skull. He had missed Oswald, the longing Edward felt had been exasperated even more by all of the descendants of the people Oswald had spoken of. Truly nothing about the life Ed was currently living had felt nearly as wonderful as before. The forest had long since been destroyed during the absence caused by his death. Gotham no longer existed as a quaint little town, now it towered miles into the sky, having eaten the forest away as punishment for standing in the way of humans' so called “progress”. Edward was sickened to find that this had left him as mostly human. At most he could heal faster than the average person, but it wasn’t by much.

The only thing Edward had been looking forward to was hopefully reuniting with Oswald once more and after decades he finally had. Cold unwelcoming light filled the empty hallway that led Edward to the medical examiner's office. Upon entering the room, the one kink that interfered with this momentous occasion stood in the room.

“Mr. Nygma, please return any files you feel compelled to borrow.”

Every time Edward saw Kristen it felt like being shot in the chest with a shotgun. Grief mixed with happiness; he didn’t know where any of his feelings about her slotted in anymore but seeing her look-a-like felt like a third chance. The idea of living the life he desired with the woman of his dreams transformed him back into the lovesick fool he had been centuries before. 

“Of course Miss. Kringle, I intended to come see you after meeting with Detective Gordon.”

“Well, now you don’t have to.”

It was a short conversation but before Ed had a chance to respond Kristen walked out the door. The Kristen he had known never had children, but Isabella had lived longer and Ed supposed that it was likely she had found someone and the name had carried down. It wasn’t any less likely than that having happened with most of the people he found still lurking around the cesspool known as Gotham. 

***

Oswald hated that he was so focused on the nobody that had interrupted his business at the GCPD. Honestly, if that Edward guy had really known who he was then he wouldn’t have approached in the first place. Oswald attempted to shake the meeting out of his thoughts but the man stuck in his brain, almost as if he recognized the man. That very notion was patently ridiculous; if he were on the payroll then Oswald would certainly have known about it. Still, the twinkle in Ed’s eye was almost enough to convince Oswald that Ed’s words were true. After all, this would be the last they saw of each other, and if not? Oswald would simply find a way to dispose of this nuisance. He had more important matters at hand than some GCPD lackey.

***

Haunted was the only way Oswald could describe his current state of being. Dreams of glittering green light and soft hands had plagued him every night since his visit to the GCPD. A voice that was too faded to recognize but filled him with warmth lingered throughout these occurrences. Singing and laughter that pervaded his nights and filtered into those few moments in between waking and still being asleep. Trapped in this loop without anyone to speak to because who could there possibly even be? He had no one he trusted, and even if he did, they would certainly think him mad for spending so much of his time thinking of these meaningless dreams. As it was, Oswald couldn't afford to be distracted from his plans. At this point, one wrong move could mean his demise, from Falcone or Maroni. Even as he attempted to focus on killing Frankie, Oswald felt those dreams firmly ingrained in his mind.

***

Having seen just who the Penguin was made it much easier for Edward to keep track of Oswald. Not that there was much to find and keep track of. For someone working in a gang, he had managed to keep a rather low profile. Still, Edward had to find a way to keep himself busy somehow. If the forest hadn’t been destroyed he would have at least been able to follow Oswald that way but, alas, he would just have to hope he would see Oswald again soon. In the meantime, he would continue trying to win Kristen’s heart. She acted so much colder than when he originally met her; more like the Isabella he knew after Kristen had died. Thinking of the choice he made between Oswald and Kristen caused regret to ping through him, but not many ever received a second chance with their first love and Oswald and he had worked perfectly as friends so there would be no harm in returning to that status quo. It’s not like Oswald would remember the past life they had shared. 

Perhaps a card would be a better idea than a cupcake next time. Kristen would likely be more receptive to a more sincere approach. He would make one to give to her and perhaps she would see that there was a much better option than those boorish men she was stuck working with all day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This concludes our first chapter. I hope everyone who's taken the time to read has enjoyed! Comments and kudos are always appreciated. If you want to talk you can find me on [ Tumblr ](https://artemis099.tumblr.com)


	2. Chapter Two

Killing officer Dougherty had not been his intention when he went to Miss Kringle’s apartment but, if nothing else, Edward would be a fool not to use that to his advantage. The note he left already cleared the way for him to comfort Kristen anyway. Although, Ed considered, she probably wouldn’t be very appreciative of that. After all, any past experience with her showed that being nice and meek didn’t work anymore. So, gathering his confidence, Edward approached her not with a request but with a demand, albeit a soft one. Dinner at eight. Edward found himself thankful that she agreed and sped home from work to prepare his apartment. It didn’t take long all he had to do was prepare the table he had bought for this occasion and cook dinner. He might have lost the green crystals but he was glad to have found a place where green lighting still lit his residence.

Dinner went swimmingly, minus the little slip up of his true nature. Edward couldn’t afford to make the same mistake that had cost him Kristen the first time. He had no intention of repeating past mistakes and he felt his current actions more than proved that. He knew he would have to be careful moving forward but he was more than cut out for the job. Already, he was planning their next date. Perhaps Jim would be willing to oblige going on a double date. Among the humans that he had run into upon awakening once more, Gordon had proven to be one of the only ones he thought worthy of his time in any regard.

***

Running errands for Galavan had never been anywhere on Oswald's list of things to do after taking control of Gotham, but he supposed he would have to settle for being someone’s errand boy for a while longer until he could settle a blade in between Theo’s ribs for his theft of Oswald’s mother. The title of King meant nothing if he was no more than a puppet under another person's fingers. He would have to find a way around Galavan’s orders without giving away that they weren’t his. After all, killing people was enough of a risk without all this potential exposure and lack of outcomes he could use to his advantage. . He certainly couldn’t go losing the tenuous respect he had gained from taking the throne, people were always watching for weakness. Weakness was a death sentence in and of itself. At least he had Butch undercover. If he was lucky, Oswald would have a way to regain his mother sooner rather than later.

***

Luck, unfortunately, had not been on Oswald’s side. With the last of his strength, covered in blood in a dirty cabin, Oswald found it in himself to beg for help from the oddly familiar stranger, a wave of nostalgia passed over him as he faded from consciousness, not even aware of the man’s response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rather short chapter but if you are enjoying the story then no worries, there will be another chapter up soon.


	3. Chapter Three

“Mr. Penguin?”

Edward fought to keep the smile off of his face as he recalled the first time they had actually met. Dead trees and cold snow melting into bright moonlight only barely cutting through the memories of rich foliage in Ed’s head. This time though, the forest had no more will or life than that of a runover frog. This would also make it quite a bit harder to bandage Oswald up since he would have to take him home to his apartment in Gotham. His sadness quickly faded as Ed heaved Oswald up and began the arduous journey to his car with dead weight trying to drag him down. He should’ve known that even without memories Oswald would find a way to tax him. 

Unlike his trek through the woods, the drive to Ed’s apartment was short. Hauling Oswald up the steps was no easy feat though considering he couldn’t just carry Oswald upon his back. Oswald’s limp body made no effort to cooperate as Ed looped Oswald’s arm over his shoulder and pulled him up several flights of stairs, attempting to make it seem like he was helping a drunk friend home. Thankfully no one stopped them and Ed’s work went much quicker once inside the apartment. Edward’s medical supplies were swiftly collected from the bathroom and with them he patched Oswald up as well as any medical professional could have. After Ed finished, he bundled Oswald up in the flannel pajamas that Ed had saved and he left Oswald tucked comfortably into bed. With all of his work done Ed had nothing left to do but to wait. He might have lost Kristen but if nothing else he was regaining Oswald and with any luck, their third meeting would go much better than they first had.

***

Oswald woke slowly to find himself warmly tucked into a completely unfamiliar bed. This realization jarred him enough to brutally shake any lingering sleep as he looked around for any sign of where he was. The only recognisable thing was the gangly nerd he remembered meeting at the GCPD many weeks prior. The gangly nerd had a syringe filled with some mysterious liquid. Oswald, in all his consternation, ignored whatever the man was saying in his struggle to get up. It was all for nothing though as he jabbed the needle into Oswald’s neck and Oswald found himself slipping back into darkness.

Much like every dream he’d had since going to visit Jim, Oswald found himself walking through a lush forest looking for someone. The odd hush that hung over the atmosphere prompted Oswald not to call out as he wandered. He pushed forward looking for the heart of the woods, somehow knowing that the person he would be searching for would be there. Brambles grabbed at his pants legs seeking to stop him and vines sought to entangle him all to prevent any progress. Still, Oswald foraged forward and came to a wall of foliage hanging in his way. He knew that if he pushed it aside he would find himself exactly where he wanted to be. Oswald grabbed the wall of vines. Pushing them aside he found himself…

Frustrated at once more waking up before he could find out what lay behind the curtain of leaves and vines. The man from before stood close by carefully monitoring him.

“You drugged me.”

Oswald's statement waset with an answer he was not expecting.

“That was for your own benefit. Undue stress would hinder the healing process.”

Recognition finally filtered through Oswald’s mind as he listened to the man’s odd speaking pattern.

“I know you.”

“Ed Nygma.”

“We met before. At the GCPD.”

“You’re not a cop.”

“Oh. No, no, no-'' Mr. Nygma chuckled before continuing, “No, I’m in forensics.”

“Why did you help me?”

“Do you believe in fate?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Recently I made a change. ‘What kind of change?’ you ask.”

“I didn’t ask-”

“I’ve started murdering people.”

Oswald wasn’t exactly surprised to see the glee that overcame Mr. Nygma’s face. People being less than stable was in no way rare to the residents of Gotham. But with him showing such unbridled joy, Oswald would have to make sure he was careful to not become Edward’s next victim. Hopefully, the fact Oswald was being nursed back to health was a point in his favor.

“How many people?”

“Three. But I was hoping you could teach me.”

“Listen, friend-”

“Ed.”

“Whatever. My empire is in ruins,” Oswald could not stop the sniffles that started as he continued, “I’m a wanted man with no friends. And my mother, the one person I swore to protect, is dead because of my weakness. Believe me when I tell you the path you are on leads to nothing but destruction and pain. So wanted or not, I’m leaving.”

Oswald got up and tried to stumble to the door. Darkness spotted his vision and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he passed out again.

***

Edward watched on with amusement as his old friend fell to the ground again. He had known Oswald's facade of strength would not get him far but their time together had taught him that it was better to let Oswald wear himself out than try to stop him. Edward settled Oswald back into bed and tucked him in to ensure Oswald would be comfortable. Ed went about settling the water properly on the bedside table as he ruminated on how to better bond with the new variant of Oswald. It had not been easy to get close to Oswald before and that was when he had no investment in knowing the strange man. He had hoped that having something in common would have helped but Oswald was having reservations about his current career path. There was nothing for that except for renewing Oswald’s passion. Humming to himself Edward set out to find information on Oswald’s mother. Thankfully, there would not be anything suspicious about him going to the GCPD, he would just have to be careful about Gordon catching onto him sniffing around. 

The dark side of his nature manifesting and making a mess of things had at least been useful in showing him that he belonged with Oswald. As a friend and partner. Edward found his job to be incredibly easy once he arrived. People were already abuzz from Gordon arresting Galavan. Ed pushed his advantage to travel to Galavan’s office building from the police department. The snake having its head cut off made for quick work in isolating and taking a Mr. Leonard. Ed was getting tired of all of the heavy lifting he was putting himself through, but it would be worth it to see Oswald in action. In all of the time, they had known each other Edward had never seen Oswald kill. It was a shame Ed planned on soon remedying. He had no doubts that Oswald would look incandescent cast in green light and blood. 

Edward drove home hoping this would be the last time he had to drag someone up the stairs. He was unsurprised to find Oswald still asleep. Ed promptly set to tying Leonard to a chair and taping a burlap sack over his head. With both of his guests, asleep Edward settled into a chair to wait, leg bouncing in excitement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, two chapters in one day. As always any form of feedback is greatly appreciated.


	4. Chapter Four

Oswald found himself enjoying living with Edward. He had spent his entire life with his mother and he would deny it to anyone that asked but living alone had been miserable. Edward was a strange man, especially with all of his riddles, but they had been getting along splendidly. Oswald had never felt so fond of someone other than his mother, but with Ed it was different. He knew about the side of Oswald that his mother had rejected. Not only was Oswald accepted, Edward encouraged Oswald’s criminal enterprises. He would sit enthralled by any of the stories Oswald could be bothered to share; Not only ones about his time as Penguin but ones about his childhood. Edward was odd, but to Oswald he seemed perfect. A friend that would never betray him and would welcome Oswald as he was. Living together had been a type of bliss that Oswald was unfamiliar with but had come to gratefully appreciate. As always though, life found a way to ruin it.

Too soon Galavan was out and Gordon was lying in Edward's bed. If it weren’t for the things Oswald now knew about Ed’s criminal ventures he would be jealous of all of the men Ed seemed to gather in his apartment. It was a hurricane of activity that left Oswald reeling as he was hurled into an Arkham cell. The other patients Oswald could have dealt with, but Dr. Strange's torture proved to be too much. Oswald felt himself succumbing to the treatment and he felt that the only good thing to come from it was the loss of the dreams surrounding the strange man. The man that had felt like he was coming into focus the longer he had been with Ed.

***

Edward was glad for Oswald’s request to lay lilies on Gertrude’s grave. It gave him a reason to go to one of the diminishing parks still encompassed within Gotham’s bounds. In all of his time coming to the park he had never seen another living soul there. With no more than a glance around Edward knelt down and summoned a patch of lilies from the ground. Edward felt soothed by the power this action brought flowing through him. He gingerly plucked and collected them into a neat bouquet. With that accomplished Edward began his walk to the cemetery. He needed to lay these on Gertrude’s resting place and get back to work.

Oswald appearing at Edward's door had cut through the thrill of Edwards' plan. They had broken him in Arkham for Oswald to be acting the way he was. Edward’s Oswald would be furious to be treated so cruelly, reduced to nothing more than tar and feathers. Edward was outraged and when he had the time the first stop he would be making would be to visit Mr. Gilzean, but first Gordon had to be dealt with. After all, Edward could be of no use to Oswald if they were both locked up in Arkham. Steeling himself for part one of his ingenious plan Edward started to gather his materials.

***

Oswald considered how odd it was to be back in Arkham just on the other side of the glass. It was a strange feeling, and an upsetting one when he sat opposite of Edward. Edward wasn't suited for the misery he had been suffering for months. Sweet, slight, gangly Edward. Oswald was sure the only reason Ed was managing to survive here was because Strange was no longer in charge. Seeing Ed had kept Oswald sane and he made sure Edward knew. Walking out holding an origami Penguin, Oswald prepared himself for what would surely be a bloody battle between him and Fish.

***

Edward could not recall being happier as he slid into the limousine beside Oswald. Arkham had been quite effective at crushing his spirit. Even the town being made of metal had not cut off Edward’s connection to the land nearly as much as Arkham had. When he was free he could still visit a park to reconnect but that had been so abruptly brought to an end. Locked up, Edward had also found himself cut off from any news of what was happening outside the institution's walls. Oswald’s visits had depleted to nothing for quite some time and Ed was worried that Fish had managed to hurt Oswald. Seeing the limo pull up had done much to relieve many of Edward’s concerns. 

Oswald filled Edward in on the plan as they made the journey to the Van Dahl manor that was now in Oswald's possession. Ed felt warmed by the faith Oswald placed in him. He was glad to find they would be spending more time together, hopefully for a much longer amount of time… Hopefully forever.

***

Oswald felt intense pleasure as he wrapped Edward in a hug. The thrum of adrenaline was finally leaving his system after the eventful night they’d had at The Sirens. Learning that Butch had betrayed him and that Ed had cleverly set up a way to exposeButch’s deception in a way that would also ruin Butch’s reputation had all come as a shock to Oswald. Even worse was watching Ed nearly die before his eyes, and he could have sworn he heard Ed mutter something about how Oswald now understood what it was to watch the other die before him. Of course, he had no proof and Edward denied ever saying anything of the sort but Oswald could not shake the feeling that he had heard Edward say such a thing. Of course, none of that mattered since it all led to him being able to hold Edward. An earth shattering realization rattled Oswald as he felt Ed’s warm breath on his neck. He was in love with Ed… and he needed to confess.

***

Edward stood in front of the vast array of wine presented before him as he tried to decide what would go best with Oswald’s surprise dinner. That is until a familiar voice interrupted his perusing. “Impossible to pick the perfect bottle, isn’t it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, life got in the way for the while but I'm back at it again with another chapter, so please enjoy.


	5. Chapter Five

Oswald spent the night consumed by fear. Butch on the lose and Edward never came home. Edward not arriving on time was worrisome enough but never arriving home was cause for panic. He would give Edward the night but come morning the GCPD would be hearing from him. Oswald laid in bed unconsoled by his decision.

***

This was the third time since Edward had woken up that his world had been entirely tilted on its axis. Waking up to find a world made of metal, meeting Ms. Kringle, and now being face to face with Isabella. This descendant looked exactly like the original twins. Though with no one staying dead in Gotham it would not hurt to make sure of her identity. 

“Ms. Kringle?”

“Isabella.”

“I’m sorry, I mistook you for someone else.”

Her riddle nearly surprised him into silence but he forced himself to answer before a disproportionate amount of time passed. She looked happy to see him respond and he was struck by how similar she was to her past counterpart. He did not even think to turn her down when she invited him to her doorstep for a conversation. As they spoke it became clear that her personality was a closer match to Kristen’s than it was the one the first Isabella had before she disclosed her ruse. He sank into the nostalgia as they spent their time deep in conversation, only to be interrupted by a newspaper. Upon learning the time Edward began rushing home to Oswald, already preparing himself for the onslaught of worry he was sure to arrive to. The only problem was explaining his interest in the new woman without giving away the past

***

Oswald grasped onto the back of Ed’s jacket as if he would crumble to the ground if he didn’t. “When you didn’t come home I assumed the worst. Where were you?”

Edward got out an apology before a grin took over his face.

“I think I’m in love.”

Oswald was shaken by this sudden declaration. In love? After just one night? Oswald knew Ed had not been in contact with anyone in his past, present company excluded so how could he be in love?

“Are you okay? Did something happen while you were out? Are you being threatened?!”

“No, nothing like that. I met a girl while I was attempting to procure a bottle of wine for dinner last night. Her name is Isabella, she works at the library.”

“And you managed to fall in love with her after one night?”

Oswald was glad Edward missed the incredulousness in his voice.

“The heart keeps its own time.”

He barely contained the eye roll he desperately wanted to do, knowing how touchy Edward could be. It was obvious that this conversation was going nowhere so he might as well shift it to one that would not make him gag. 

“Do you have today’s schedule?”

“Of course Oswald. I’ll go change for today and return with your itinerary.”

As Edward started walking away Oswald had an idea.

“Take all the time you need Ed. I have a personal errand I need to run before we get the day underway.”

“Oh, would you like me to accompany you? It certainly will not take me long to change.”

“Don’t trouble yourself, this is something I need to handle alone.”

Edward shot him a concerned look but with a grin, Oswald began to climb the stairs to change. He had a librarian to visit.

***

Ed was overjoyed with how well things had been going with Isabella, so of course it all had to fall to pieces. Even Arkham had not made him feel insane in the way speaking with Kristen's mirror image had. Isabella doing her best to imitate Kristen had only managed to bring back some of his worst memories. Everything felt like it was crumbling around him and he could not get a grasp on it. He was left trying to cope with it on his own and he was failing. Speaking with Kristen’s doppelganger would have been unnerving once upon a time, but the fact that she’d been continually showing up was becoming bothersome. 

He saw her watching him as he stood beside Oswald at presentations, sitting amongst the crowd in speeches, just following him around in public. The only thing he was glad for was that during those times she didn't attempt to speak to him, but being alone changed everything. She would sit at his bedside while he attempted to sleep and she would taunt him. She seemed to seldom go away.

He could tell Oswald was starting to suspect something was wrong. Edward knew he would have to come up with some explanation for the bags forming under his eyes. He could not even escape from her in his sleep. He saw her wasting away in front of him, or wrapping his hands around her throat all while laughter sang out around him. Ed had never felt like her memory had stopped haunting him but this was a new level of torment he never knew about. He thought being subjected to his darker side's ridicule had been bad but he was to the point where he would prefer that to even just another second of Kristen’s company.

***

Even for Gotham, the lack of information on this woman was laughable; after all, most applications require you to list your last name, and yet, where hers should be was nothing but a blank line. Oswald felt his frustration beginning to boil over. Isabelle simply didn’t exist beyond a first name. There was no background, no family history, not even last name. If Oswald believed that Edward would even entertain the notion of Oswald's suspicions, he would have made sure that this information was provided to Edward as soon as possible. Oswald felt it would be a foolish endeavor to attempt this. Edward kept going back to Isabella, failed his attempt at breaking up with her and had taken no further action on the matter. Oswald would simply have to dispose of her on his own terms. Edward would see through any murder attempt as he had worked in forensics. Oswald had hoped he could blackmail her into ceding Edward unto him, but that was a remarkably hard task to accomplish when she shouldn’t even exist.

At this rate, he was beginning to wonder if perhaps she was a clone or monster created by Dr. Strange. Oswald did not doubt that this would all be a funny prank to him. If that were the case there should still be some way to trace her back to Arkham and yet, nothing. At the rate those two were moving they would be married before Oswald ever discovered any relevant information on her. It would appear sending Gabe to collect information on her was useless, so he would just have to do it himself. Oswald found himself reluctantly glad those two were on a date as it would make it much easier to investigate her work life without her there.

Oswald had Gabe chauffeur him to the library in a throwaway car they had for secret trips. It was easy to ditch if needed but blended in well with the Gotham traffic. Oswald found his way to the front desk with ease, pleased to find the library mostly empty. That would make it much less likely that Ed would learn about this little foray.

“Mister Mayor. Do you need any assistance?”

The librarian seemed startled that he was there. “I was hoping you could answer a question for me.”

“I’d be happy to try.”

“What would you happen to be able to tell me about your coworker Isabelle?”

Her plastered on smile faded, “Isabelle? Isabella? May I ask what this is about?”

“She appears to be dating one of the members of my team and I’m here to vet her personally. Now is there anything about her that’s odd?”

The librarian shook her head, “Not that I know of. She’s rather private and doesn’t talk to us much. I’m surprised to hear she’s dating.”

“Can you tell me her last name? How long has she worked here?”

“Um, no actually. Like I said she pretty much keeps to herself, she works alone and all. And she was here before me but I’ve only been here for two years.”

Oswald struggled to keep the blade in his cane sheathed, “Are you the one in charge?”

The librarian was flustered by the question, “No the head librarian runs things.”

“And who might that be so that I can speak to someone who might actually be able to help me.”

“He’s in the back. Do you want me to go get him?”

“No, just direct me to his office and I will speak with him myself.”

The woman pointed a shaky hand to the door behind the desk, “He’s in there.”

“Thank you.”

With a nod, Oswald walked up to the door and found the handle to be unlocked when he tried it. Oswald pushed open the door ignoring the protest of the man inside.

“Excuse me sir but only employees are allowed back here.”

“I believe you’ll make an exception for me.”

“Mister Mayor? I don’t believe we have an appointment scheduled.”

“I’m here about the actions of one of your employees and I felt it couldn’t wait.”

“Is that so. And that person is?”

“A woman you have employed by the name of Isabelle.”

“Do you mean Ms. Isabella? She’s been part of this staff for years and we’ve never had any issues before.”

“She has entered into a relationship with one of my campaign members and a background check brought up that she apparently does not have one. I came here hoping that you could clear that up for me.”

“I assure you she has been an exemplary worker. We haven’t had a single issue with her.”

“Even so, I would like to see her paperwork.”

“Mister. Cobblepot the information in that paperwork is confidential. I cannot share it with you but you can trust me when I tell you she’s an honest and lovely woman. Whoever she’s dating is a lucky man.”

“Listen, friend, I didn't come here to leave without answers so it is in your best interest to turn over any information you have on her.”

“Is that a threat?”

Oswald felt his temper snap. Oswald used his cane to deliver a harsh blow to the man’s head. He crumpled to the floor. The plush carpet covered the sound and Oswald went to work looking for her file. Thankfully the office was as immaculately alphabetized as the rest of the library. Oswald found the file in a cabinet sitting by the lone desk in the room. Eagerly he tore it open for one piece of paper to flutter to the ground. Oswald picked up the paper that only held an old photograph of what looked like Gotham when it was just a village. What appeared to be twin versions of Isabella stood hugging in the photo. Confused and furious Oswald turned the page over and found a faded date. Oswald folded the photo and tucked it into his pocket.

He straightened his jacket before striding out of the office making sure his body blocked any view into the room. The librarian watched him walk back to the front of the counter. I need any books you have about Gotham in 1862 that have pictures.”

“There aren’t very many. Not too many things were well preserved from that time.”

Oswald exploded, “Just bring me what you have!” 

The librarian scurried off rushing to find what she could. She returned several minutes later carrying three books. 

“This cannot be everything.”

She would not meet his eyes, “Some of our selection is checked out but like I said we don’t have much, stuff gets lost to time and the old Gotham library burned down. Very few texts were saved and that would have held most of the history.”

Oswald pinched the bridge of his nose before grabbing the books and ignoring her cry for him to properly check the books out. Oswald heaved himself into the car with his measly selection and demanded Gabe drive him home.

Oswald spent the ride with his head resting against the window as he felt the day's events causing him a headache. Once the car stopped at the manor, Oswald immediately traveled to his room to read over the books. Upon opening the first book he found his instructions had been disregarded. He flipped through page after page finding not a single photo. Another issue that made itself abundantly clear was the fact that the book itself was written about 1862, not from 1862. Oswald carelessly threw the book aside before he was even halfway through. The second book looked much more promising. It showed signs of being a lot more aged. He intended to just skim it but found himself legitimately reading it. With a sigh, Oswald sat the book aside and picked up the third one. He might as well save the other one for later if he was just going to end up reading it in full. The third book quickly proved itself to be just as useless as the first one. It was full of maps and trading routes. Gotham was only barely a footnote at the bottom of one of the pages. Oswald resumed his study of the second book, once more finding himself enthralled with it.

_ In 1862, Gotham was a small village well known for its close knit community. _ Oswald nearly laughed at the line, ‘close knit community’, people were just as likely to kill you then as they were now. Oswald’s amusement faded and confusion set in. How would he know what Gotham used to be like? He ignored the confusion, reasoning that Fish and Carmine had told stories of gangs running the city for decades.  _ The village had a bustling economy based on lumber trading. _ The more Oswald read the passage the deeper the sense of wrongness permeated his skin. It simply did not make sense. All of the pictures shown displayed thick brambles that would have made it difficult to even get near the trees. Oswald didn’t know when he had started pacing and he didn’t realize when he stopped. In the picture stretched across two pages, Oswald found his facing staring back at him. He barely caught himself on the bed as his knees buckled. A screeching noise resonated in his head as he felt his dreams finally click into place. Glaring moonlight, a missing locket, bloody clothes, emerald lights, and warm hands clasping him. No, not dreams, memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go, another chapter bites the dust.


	6. Chapter Six

Edward strolled through the hallway surprised to see a fire lit in the living room. At this late hour, Oswald would be in bed. Ed would have to find out why Olga left the fire lit and unattended. Edward grabbed a poker by the fireplace and stirred the wood. “Edward.”

Ed dropped the poker with a gasp, whirling around to face Oswald. Oswald sat with a glass of brandy resting on the table by the couch. “Oswald, you have a long day ahead of you. You should be sleeping.”

“Should I?” Edward observed Oswald grabbing his glass but not quite managing to hide his bitter smirk behind it. He threw the rest of it back before continuing, “This coming from the man; lurking around, who knows where, until the early hours of the morning.” The accusation left Edward feeling unsteady but he remained composed. “I assure you I was with Isabella not out stalking anybody. Are you alright?”

“You would do anything for me huh? Then why not tell me the truth?”

“Oswald I don’t know what you're talking about. I have told you everything about me. You knew about Kristen before anyone else.”

Oswald lunged at Edward holding a knife to his neck. Edward resisted the urge to smile. “Liar! I saw the photo.”

“Photo?”

“Of myself, back when Gotham was just a village. I remember you. And I know you haven’t forgotten, you’re not even human so how could you?”

Edward was taken aback not only by the pure vehemence in Oswald’s voice and the snarl marring his face but the new information.

“You remember? You remember us?”

Edward threw caution to the wind and curled his hands over Oswalds’. Oswald ripped himself backward nearly tripping onto the couch. “You haven’t changed. All you do is lie.”

Oswald grabbed his cane preparing to storm off.

“Oswald, wait. I didn’t want you to suffer.”

Oswald scoffed, “That is a pitiful excuse.”

“No, it’s not. Life was difficult for you back then. You said you remember so think about it. You lived a painful life full of betrayal and loss. I wanted to save you from that. Take it from me it’s painful to live remembering more than just one lifetime.”

Oswald stopped at the doorway before turning his head. “That wasn’t your decision to make.”

With that Oswald continued walking away. Edward buried his head in his hands and stood there, sadness permeating his whole body.

“Well, how’d that go Casanova?”

Edward barely lifted his head to respond, “Go away.”

“I told you, you can’t do anything but hurt the people you love. I don’t think you even know what love is.”

Edward couldn’t find the strength to respond. He dropped into the armchair they kept in the room and curled up.

***

Oswald found himself wandering the grounds of the manor. Originally he had planned to visit his mother but he felt it would be unwise to travel in his current state and apparel. Butch and Tabitha were still on the loose. He walked in the cold, misty weather until a familiar female voice interrupted him. 

“Hello, Mr. Cobblepot.”

Her voice rang in front of him but it wasn’t until several minutes of staring that a body took shape. In front of him stood Isabella, arms crossed in front of her. 

“Isabella. Trespassing is a criminal offense and as this is my property, not Ed’s I will not hesitate to have you removed.”

“Now now Oswald I came to talk with you about Ed. I take it from your demeanor that you’ve seen him for the monster he is?”

“Excuse me?”

“You know,” She gestured with her hand in a vague wave, “the selfish thing that hurts whoever he wants, to get whatever he wants, but pretends to care about them as if that makes it better.”

“If you feel this way about Edward, why are you dating him?”

“It’s simple really, revenge. He killed my sister. My  _ real  _ sister, not that copy I had him chasing around for months.”

Oswald narrowed his eyes before replying, “You make it sound like you’re the original Isabella. But that wouldn’t be possible, he said you were human.”

She tilted her head, maintaining her smirk.

“And at that point, he would’ve been right, but I lost my humanity long ago. Traded it. To a demon for the ability to take my revenge on him. It took me centuries to be prepared and yet when I went to find him, he was nowhere to be found. Fast forward to now and I find out he made a deal with you because, apparently, he loves you-” she broke off with a giggle- “or at least he thinks he does. But come now, you and I both know he isn’t capable of something as intricate as love. Fey are simple in that regard.”

“And you’re telling me all of this why?”

“I’ve been watching you two. Hoping you would see the reality of what he is. I’m hoping you’ll help me. I’ve been toying with him from the very beginning but I’m quite bored now. I’ve been messing with his mind since he worked with the GCPD, so the only thing left to do is kill him. I even convinced people to cut his power source down so many decades ago. He’ll be left powerless and suffering just like Kristen was. And I want you to help by letting him see you with me when I end him. That way it hurts more.”

Oswald empathized with her pain. If there was something he understood it was having a family member unjustly taken. He nodded his agreement but he was struck with turmoil. “It seems Edward’s caused both of us more than enough pain. What’s the plan?”

“In the warehouse district, there’s one that has a purple question mark. Bring him there on Friday night and I’ll plunge this,” Isabella pulled out a dagger that seemed to draw in all surrounding light, “into his heart. Easy as that.”

“Is that really going to kill him?”

“Of course! Haven’t you heard the phrase if it bleeds you can kill it? I assure you he bleeds, so as long as the damage is fatal he’ll die, it’ll just take longer than an average human. And if nothing else it’s impossible to survive a cut from this blade let alone being stabbed.”

Oswald nodded, “Friday it is then.”

“See you then.”

Isabella turned and seemed to walk only a few steps before becoming nothing more than mist. Oswald turned and began his journey back to the manor, turmoil roiling inside of him. Ed had certainly hurt him but did Oswald have it in him to lead Ed to his death?

***

Several days had passed since they had argued and Edward felt torn apart by Oswald’s refusal to speak to him beyond any matter other than work. He had begged forgiveness many times only to be brushed off and ignored in favor of any other matter. Oswald had iced him out before but living with him made it so much worse this time. First the locket and now this. Perhaps he was the problem here. He loved Oswald and yet, every decision Ed made always managed to hurt him. He needed a plan. Something to show Oswald that he was willing to put the work in to change.

***

Oswald felt exhausted waiting for Friday to come. He had agreed with Isabella but Edward was not making sticking to his choice easy. Oswald never let the people who had betrayed him live and yet Edward seemed to have forgotten all about that. He was insistent in his pleading for forgiveness. Once was painful but twice was a pattern, and if he let Edward get away with lying then he would just continue to do so. With that thought in mind, Oswald continued to steel himself against Edward’s onslaught of apologies and his own breaking heart.

***

Edward hurried out of his side of the car to join Oswald as he entered the warehouse. Edward hadn’t heard any rumors of the sirens using it but Oswald was confident they were doing some form of business here. Edward wouldn’t miss out on any chance to prove to Oswald that he did care. He would’ve never tied himself to Oswald if he hadn’t. He allowed Oswald to enter first before following in behind. He found them greeted with nothing but a sprawling concrete floor. 

“Perhaps you were given unverified information?”

Oswald turned to him as a voice rang out behind him, “Actually, it’s spot on.”

Before he could turn he felt cold steel connect with the back of his head before everything turned black.

Edward woke, laying on his back. Each heartbeat causes pain to pulse through his head. He was restrained with ropes. So tightly bound he knew he would be incapable of escaping them alone. Oswald and Isabella stood over him. Oswald with a grim face and Isabella with a grin.

“What? What are you two doing?”

“Oh sugar, don’t tell me that knock to the head made you stupider.”

“Isabella, I don’t understand.”

“Hmm... I guess I’ll grant you the small mercy of explaining before you die then,” Edward watched her grab an enchanted dagger from off of the floor and hold it above her head with both hands, “You killed my sister, so you die.”

Edward felt his eyes widen as she knelt by his side and started to bring the dagger down. Edward closed his eyes bracing himself for the pain. Instead, he heard a choked off noise and a thud. He opened his eyes to see Isabella slumped over with the blade lodged in the middle of her chest. Edward swallowed, glancing up at Oswald who had intercepted her attack, and redirected the dagger’s target. 

“Why?”

Oswald cast a glance at him before pulling his blade from his cane and sitting beside Edward. He began to cut the ropes before continuing.

“Because I love you. And I believe that you do love me, even if you’re terrible at showing it.”

“I do. Love you, I mean. I have for centuries and I will forevermore.”

“Then why chase after Isabelle and her fake Kristen?

“Fake Kristen? Of course, she must have been using dark magic. That explains several things.”

Oswald cut him off, “Edward focus.”

“Right. I thought pursuing a romantic relationship with you might cause you to remember the past, they were both the easier, safer option.”

The last of the ropes snapped, freeing Edward. He sat up to face Oswald head on. Oswald leaned forward pressing a kiss to Edward's cheek, surprise stealing what Edward was about to say. 

“We have a lot to work on if we even have a chance and I’m still angry with you but for now I just want to go home.”

“As you wish.”

Edward stood up, pulling Oswald up with him. He shyly cast a look at Oswald before leading him out the door, hands still clasped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one to go now


	7. Epilogue

Cameras flashed as Oswald went to give his re-election speech, silence falling over the crowd as he stood at the podium.

“I am proud to stand before you once more as your mayor and I thank you for putting your faith in me. I intend to continue serving you dutifully and to do so I would like to reintroduce you all to my Chief of Staff Mr. Edward Nygma.”

Edward walked out to join him on the stage while the paparazzi made sure to snap their photos. 

“We have accomplished so much together, so I’m sorry to say that he has stepped down as Chief of Staff. He will still be a key part of my operation though. Not as an employee,” Oswald clasped their hands together and put them in full view of the cameras, “but as my partner.”

The room broke into questions and exclamations as Oswald and Edward stood in front of them smiling and brandishing their engagement rings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap. I hope everyone that read it enjoyed.

**Author's Note:**

> This concludes our first chapter. I hope everyone who's taken the time to read has enjoyed! Comments and kudos are always appreciated. If you want to talk you can find me on [Tumblr](https://artemis099.tumblr.com).


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